The Holy Prophet (continued...)

I enquire that if the Holy Prophet, peace be on him, who had announced his claim that the moon had been split by the pointing of his finger and that the disbelievers had witnessed it with their own eyes, though they called it sorcery, was not true in his claim, then why did his opponents keep silent and why did they not call the Holy Prophet to account that he had not split the moon and that they had not called anything sorcery, nor refused to accept anything that had happened as an event? Why did they remain silent and keep their mouths shut till they had passed away from this world? Does not their silence, which was inconsistent with their opposition and with their eagerness to contend against and question everything, certify that they were held back from speaking by some severe obstruction? What could that obstruction be except that the event was true? This miracle occurred in Mecca when the Muslims were very weak and helpless. It is a matter of surprise that the sons or grandsons of the opponents of the Holy Prophet also did not utter anything in contradiction of the event, for if the claim of the Holy Prophet was mere falsehood and had received great publicity, they should have written and published books in exposing it. When the Muslims continued to bear witness to it openly before thousands of people, and their evidence is found recorded in the books of that time and hundreds of thousands of Christians and Arabs and Jews and Magians, etc. did not dare to contradict it, it is clear proof that the opponents had witnessed the splitting of the moon and that there was no room left for contradiction . . . . We would like to add that the event of the splitting of the moon is recorded in the reliable books of the Hindus. Beas Ji has recorded in the Mahabharta that in his time the moon had been split into two and had again come together. He attributed this, without any proof, to Biswamtar as his miracle . . . . It seems that this event was well known among the Hindus even at the time of the writing of the history of Farishta, whose author has recorded in his eleventh discourse, on the authority of the Hindus, that the Raja of Dharka, which was a town situated on river Phanbal in Malwa and is perhaps now known as Dhara Nagri, was sitting on the roof of his palace and he saw that the moon had suddenly split into two and had then come together. On investigation the Raja discovered that it was a miracle of the Arabian Prophet, peace be on him, and he became a Muslim [Surma Chashm Arya (Qadian, 1886); Now published in Ruhani Khazain, Volume 2 (London, 1984), pp. 74-79].

The miracles and signs that were bestowed by God Almighty on our lord and master, the Holy Prophet, peace be on him, were not confined to his time, but will continue till the Day of Judgment. In the past ages, no Prophet was included among the followers of another Prophet, though he helped the faith of the previous Prophet and believed in him, but the Holy Prophet, peace be on him, has been bestowed this special honour that he is Khatamal Anbiya; one, because he achieved the climax of all the excellences of Prophethood; and, secondly, because there will be no Prophet after him who would bring a new law nor any Prophet who is not his follower. Everyone who is honoured with converse with the Divine, achieves it through his grace and through his mediation and is known as his follower and not as a direct Prophet. He has been accepted to such a degree that today a minimum of 200 million people of every rank are Muslims and stand before him as his servants. Great and powerful kings who conquered a portion of the world, fell at his feet like humble slaves. Even today Muslim kings regard themselves as his humble servants and descend from their thrones at the mention of his name.

It is worthy of consideration whether this glory, this splendour, these thousands of heavenly signs and Divine blessings can be bestowed upon a false one. We take great pride in the fact that the Holy Prophet, peace be on him, to whom we have attached ourselves, was bestowed great grace by God. He is not God, but through him we have seen God. His religion which has come to us is a mirror of Divine Powers. Had it not been for Islam, it would have been difficult in this age to appreciate what Prophethood is and whether miracles are possible and whether they are part of the law of nature. This puzzle was resolved by the eternal grace of that Prophet and it is due to him that we are not mere story-tellers like other people, but enjoy the support of God's light and His heavenly help. We are unable to express adequately our gratitude that God Who is hidden from others, and the inner power which is beyond the concept of others, and the Lord of Glory, have been disclosed to us by the Holy Prophet [article attached to Chashma Marifat, (Qadian, Anwar Ahmadiyyah Press, 1908); Now published in Ruhani Khazain (London, 1984), Vol. 23., pp. 8-10].

The miracles that were performed by all the other Prophets came to an end with them; but the miracles of our Holy Prophet, peace be on him, are fresh and alive in every age. Those miracles being alive and not having succumbed to death is proof that the Holy Prophet, peace be on him, is alone the living Prophet and that true life is that which has been bestowed on him and not upon any other. His teaching is a living teaching because its fruits and blessings are experienced today as they were experienced 1,300 years before. We have before us no other teaching by acting on which a person might claim that he has been bestowed its fruits and blessings and graces and that he has become a Sign of God. By the grace of God Almighty, we find the fruits and blessings of the Holy Quran present among us, and we still find those graces and signs which are bestowed in consequence of true obedience to the Holy Prophet, peace be on him. Thus has God Almighty established this Movement so that it should be a living witness to the truth of Islam, and should prove that those blessings and signs which had appeared 1,300 years ago have appeared in this age also through perfect obedience to the Holy Prophet, peace be on him. Hundreds of signs have so far been displayed. We have invited the leaders of all peoples and all religions that they should exhibit the signs of their truth in opposition to us, but there is not one of them who can put forth a practical sample of the truth of his religion (Malfoozat, Vol. III, p. 38).

The promises of success which God Almighty gave by the Glory of His Divinity in opposition to all opponents, all enemies, all deniers, all the wealthy, all powerful rulers, all philosophers, all followers of other religions, to that humble, weak, poor, unlearned, untrained one, and which were fulfilled at their time and continue to be fulfilled, could not be the work of any human being, nor can any honest seeker after truth have any doubt concerning them. That poor, lonelyand humble person announced the spread of his faith and the establishment of his religion at a time when he had no one with him except a few indigent companions, and the total number of Muslims could be contained in one small room and their names could be counted on the fingers of two hands, and who could be destroyed by a few men of the town. They were opposed by the rulers of the earth and they had to deal with the peoples who were determined to destroy them and whose numbers ran into millions. But now look at the ends of the earth how God Almighty spread those few weak people all over the earth, and how He bestowed upon them power and wealth and kingdom, and how for thousands of years thrones and crowns were bestowed upon them. There was a time when their number did not exceed the number of the members of one family and today they are counted in hundreds of millions. God had said He would safeguard His word, and is it not true that the teaching which the Holy Prophet, peace be on him, conveyed as coming from God Almighty in His word is still safeguarded in that word and there have always been hundreds of thousands who have committed the Holy Quran to memory? God had said that no one would be able to match His Book in wisdom and understanding, and in beauty of composition, and in comprehending the knowledge of the Divine and in setting forth religious arguments, and so it has proved. If any one questions this, let him come forth and produce its match, and let him produce from any other book the equal of the verities and fine points and wonders which we have set forth in this book from the Holy Quran with the promise of a reward of ten thousand rupees. So long as he fails to do so, he is convicted in the estimation of God. God had promised that He would take Syria out of the possession of the Christians and would bestow it upon the Muslims. So it came about, and the Muslims became the heirs of that land. All these claims are accompanied by Divine Power and Might. They are not merely like the boasts of astronomers that there would be earthquakes, and famines, and epidemics, and plagues, and the assaults of nation against nation, etc. By following the word of God and through its effect, those who obey the Holy Quran, and believe sincerely in the Holy Prophet, and love him, and consider him better and holier and more perfect and more exalted than the whole of creation, and all Prophets and all Messengers and all holy ones and all that has happened or might happen, continue to partake of those bounties and drink deliciously and copiously of the draught that was given to Moses and Jesus to drink. They are lit up with Israeli lights and enjoy the blessings of the Prophets who were descendants of Jacob. Holy is Allah, how high is the status of the Seal of the Prophets and how grand is the light the humblest of whose servants arrived at the ranks that we have mentioned. O Allah, send down Thy blessings on Thy Prophet and Thy loved one, the Chief of the Prophets, and the best of Messengers, and the Seal of the Prophets, Muhammad, and his people and his companions and bestow Thy peace upon them. The Christian divines and Pundits and Brahmos and Aryas and other opponents of our time need not wonder where are the blessings and where are the heavenly lights respecting which the followers of the Holy Prophet, peace be on him, are sharers with Moses and Jesus. Where is the heritage of those lights which are bestowed on the Muslims and from which all other people and followers of other religions are debarred? To set their doubts at rest, we have stated it several times in this footnote, that we are responsible for setting forth the proof of these things before any seeker after truth who would be ready, on witnessing the particular superiority of Islam, to become a Muslim. In the second footnote, we have set out in brief, how God Almighty manifests His Divine powers and graces and blessings in the case of Muslims, and how He has promised and given good news of events that are beyond human power. So if any Christian divine or Pundit or Brahmo denies these things, on account of his inner darkness, or any Arya, or a follower of other faiths, is truly and sincerely a seeker after God, it is incumbent upon him that like a true seeker, he should discard all pride, and arrogance, and hypocrisy, and worship of the world, and obstinacy, and contention and, seeking only the truth and wishing only for it, should come straight to us like a poor and humble person and should then be patient and steadfast and obedient and sincere like the righteous so that by God's will he might arrive at his object. If even now anyone turns away he becomes witness to his own lack of faith (Braheen Ahmadiyyah, pp. 242-249, footnote 11).

The Holy Quran has emphatically claimed that it is the Word of God and that our lord and master, Muhammad, peace be on him, is His true Prophet and Messenger, on whom that Holy Word has descended. This claim is clearly set forth in the following verses: Allah is He beside Whom there is none worthy of worship, the Ever-Living, the Self-Subsisting, All-Sustaining. He has sent down to thee the Book in accordance with the requirements of truth (3:3-4). Again: O mankind, the Messenger has indeed come to you with Truth from your Lord (4:171). Again: We have sent down this Discourse in accordance with the requirements of truth and with truth has it descended (17:106). Again: O mankind, there has come to you a manifest proof from your Lord, and we have sent down to you a clear Light (4:175). Again: Proclaim: O mankind, verily I am Allah's Messenger to you all (7:159). Again: From those who believe and work righteousness and believe in that which has been revealed to Muhammad, and it is the truth from their Lord, Allah removes their ills and improves their condition (47:3).

There are hundreds of other verses in which the claim has been put forward clearly that the Holy Quran is the Word of God and that Muhammad, the chosen one, peace be on him, is His true Prophet. But the verses that we have set out should suffice. We would remind our opponents that this claim is not put forth in any other book as forcefully as it has been put forth in the Holy Quran. We are very eager that the Aryas should show from the Vedas that the four Vedas claimed to be the word of God and set forth clearly that they were revealed to such and such a person at such and such a time. For a book, on behalf of which it is claimed that it is from God, it is a primary necessity that it should set forth this claim clearly; for a book, which gives no indication of its being from God, to be attributed to God, would be an impertinence. A second matter which is worth mentioning is that not only has the Holy Quran claimed that it is from God and that the Holy Prophet, peace be on him, was the Messenger of Allah, but has also established this claim with strong and powerful arguments. We shall set forth all these arguments in their order, but for the moment we present the first argument so that seekers after truth should be able to compare in this respect other books with the Holy Quran. We also invite every opponent that if this method of proof establishes the truth of a book and is found in their books also, they should set it forth in their papers and journals; otherwise, we would have to conclude that their books lack this proof of high degree. We affirm with full confidence that this method of proof will not be found in their religion and if we are in error, they should point out our error. That first argument which the Holy Quran has set forth in support of its claim of being from God Almighty is that sane reason holds it to be a strong argument for accepting a true Book and a true Messenger of God, that they should appear at a time when the world should be plunged in darkness, and people should have adopted paganism in place of the Unity of God, and vice in place of purity, and wrong in place of justice, and ignorance in place of knowledge, and a Reformer should be sorely needed. Then such a Messenger should depart from the world when he should have accomplished his work of reform in a fine manner and should have been safeguarded from his enemies while he was occupied in that work. He should have appeared under command like a servant and should have departed under command. In short, he should appear at a time when the age should demand that a heavenly Reformer and Book are needed and he should be called back in accordance with a revealed prophecy after he had firmly planted the tree of reform and a grand revolution should have appeared. We state it with great pride that the brightness with which this argument has been established in support of the Holy Quran and our Holy Prophet, peace be on him, is lacking in the case of other Prophets and other Books. The claim of the Holy Prophet, peace be on him, was that he had been sent to the whole of mankind; so the Holy Quran convicts all people of being involved in all types of paganism and vice and disobedience as it says: Corruption has appeared on land and water (30:42); and then says: So that thou shouldst be a Warner for the world (25:2); that is to say, that the Holy Prophet should warn all people that on account of their misconduct and false doctrines, they have been accounted very sinful in the estimation of God Almighty.

The word Warner that has been used in this verse concerning all the peoples, which means to warn sinners and evildoers, is a sure indication that the Quran claimed that the whole world had been corrupted and that everyone had given up the way of truth and good behaviour, inasmuch as a warning is meant for the disobedient and pagans and evildoers, and a warning is administered to offenders and not to the well behaved. Everyone knows that it is only the vicious and faithless ones who are warned, that it is the way of Allah that a Prophet is a bearer of good tidings for the good and is a Warner for the evil ones. When a Prophet is designated as a Warner for the whole world, it would have to be accepted that by the revelation vouchsafed to that Prophet, the whole world has been held to be involved in misconduct. This is a claim which the Torah did not make in the case of Moses, nor the Gospel in the case of Jesus, but was put forward only by the Holy Quran. Then it was said: You were on the brink of a pit of fire (3:104); meaning that before the advent of the Holy Prophet, mankind had arrived at the brink of hell. The Jews and the Christians were warned that they had perverted the Books of God and had led all the people in every type of mischief and misconduct, and the idol worshippers were charged with worshipping stones and men and stars and the elements and that they had forgotten the True Creator and were guilty of devouring the property of orphans and of killing children and of doing wrong to their partners, and that they had transgressed beyond measure in everything. It was said: Know that Allah revives the earth after its death (57:18); that is to say, that the whole earth had died and would now be revived afresh by God. In short, the Holy Quran charged the whole world with misconduct and idol worship and held the Christians and the Jews to be at the root of all evil and set out all the types of vices in which they indulged. The Quran drew such a picture of the misconduct of the world that except in the case of the age of Noah, no other age appears to resemble it. We have contented ourselves with citing only a few verses and would urge our readers to study the Holy Quran carefully so as to discover how forcefully and with what effective words the Holy Quran has set forth that the whole world had been corrupted and had died, and that mankind was standing on the brink of hell. It urged the Holy Prophet to warn the whole world that it was in a serious condition. A study of the Holy Quran reveals that the world was involved in paganism and idol worship and misconduct and all manner of sin, and was sunk in the deep well of vice. It is true that the Gospel mentions some of the misconduct of the Jews, but it nowhere said that the whole world had been corrupted and had died and had become filled with paganism and misconduct. Nor did Jesus claim that he was a Messenger to the whole world. He addressed the Jews, who were a small people and inhabited a few villages within sight of Jesus. But the Holy Quran mentions the death of the whole world and describes the evil condition of all peoples. The Jews were the descendants of the Prophets and professed faith in the Torah, though they did not act in accordance with it; but in the time of the Holy Prophet in addition to all sorts of corruption in conduct, doctrine had also been corrupted. Thousands of people were atheists and thousands denied revelation and all sorts of evils were rife on the earth. Jesus mentioned the misconduct of the Jews who were a small people, which shows that the Jews were then in need of a Reformer. But the argument that we put forth in the case of the Holy Prophet, peace be on him, that he came at the time of general corruption and was called back after effecting a full reform, and the presentation of both these aspects in the Holy Quran, and his calling the attention of the world to it, is a matter which is not to be discovered in the Gospel and indeed not in any other Book except in the Holy Quran. These arguments are put forth by the Holy Quran itself and it claims that its truth is established by a consideration of both these aspects. It appeared at a time when misconduct and false doctrines had become widespread and the world had drifted far away from truth and reality and the Unity of God and purity. The affirmation of the Quran in this respect is confirmed by a study of comparative history. There is evidence of the confession of every people that that age was so full of darkness that every people had become prone to creature worship and that is the reason that when the Holy Quran charged all people with misguidance and evildoing, not one of them was able to prove its innocence. Observe how forcefully God Almighty speaks of the vices of the people of the Book and describes the death of the whole world. It says: Let them not be like those who were given the Book before them and the term of Allah's favour was prolonged for them so that their hearts were hardened and most of them became disobedient. Keep in mind that Allah revives the earth after its death. We have made the Signs manifest to you that you may understand (57:17-18). This means that the believers are admonished that they should not behave like the people of the Book who were given the Book before them and a long time passed and their hearts were hardened and most of them became disobedient and vicious. They are reminded that the earth had died and that God is now reviving it. These are signs of the need and truth of the Holy Quran which are being explained to you so that you might understand.

Now you will realize that we have not put forward this argument from our own mind, but that it is the Quran that puts it forward and after setting forth both parts of the argument, it says that these are Signs in support of the truth of the Holy Prophet and the Holy Quran which have been set forth so that you might reflect and arrive at the reality.

The second part of this argument is that the Holy Prophet, peace be on him, was called back from the world to his Lord at a time when he had completed his task fully and this is also clearly set forth in the Holy Quran; as it is said: This day have I perfected your religion for you and have completed My favour unto you, and have chosen for you Islam as your faith (5:4); meaning that by the revelation of the Quran and by the reform of the people your faith has been perfected and Divine favour has been completed for you and God has chosen Islam as your religion. This was an indication that the revelation of the Quran had been completed and it had carried out surprising and wonderful changes in eager hearts and had perfected their training and that Divine favour had been completed for the Muslims. These are the two aspects which are the purpose of the advent of a Prophet. This verse announces forcefully that the Holy Prophet, peace be on him, did not depart this life till Islam had been perfected by the revelation of the Quran and the proper training of the Muslims. This is a sign of Divine origin which is not bestowed on a false claimant. Indeed before the Holy Prophet, no true Prophet had shown this high example of perfection that on the one side the Book of God should be completed in peace and on the other side the training of people should be perfected and the disbelieving people should be defeated in every direction and Islam should be victorious on every side.

At another place it is said: Now that Allah's succour has become manifest and victory has been achieved and thou hast seen people join the religion of Allah in large numbers, then glorify thy Lord with His praise, and seek forgiveness of Him. Surely He is Oft-Returning with compassion (110:2-4). This means that the succour and victory that had been promised having come and thou having seen, O Prophet, that people are entering into Islam in great hosts, then praise and glorify God, that is to say, confess that whatever has happened was not thy doing but was the grace and beneficence of Allah, and supplicate Allah in final istighfar for He is Oft-Returning with compassion. When Prophets are urged to istighfar, it is wrong to conclude that this means that they have to seek forgiveness like sinful people. In their case it is a confession of their nothingness and humility and weakness and is a respectful way of seeking help. As these verses affirm that the purpose of the advent of the Holy Prophet, peace be on him, had been fulfilled, that is to say, thousands of people had accepted Islam and this was an indication of the approaching death of the Holy Prophet (he died within a year of the receipt of this revelation), it was natural that as these verses had given pleasure to the Holy Prophet, he should also be concerned that the garden having been planted, what about its future irrigation? So God Almighty, in order to remove this concern of the Holy Prophet, urged him to istighfar. The meaning of maghfirat is so to cover up a person that he should be safeguarded against calamities. Thus mighfar means a helmet. Istighfar means that the calamity that is feared or the sin that is apprehended, may be covered up and stopped from becoming manifest. In this case it was to convey reassurance to the Holy Prophet that he should not grieve over the faith, that God Almighty would not let it be destroyed and would ever turn to it in mercy and hold back the misfortunes which could follow upon some weakness (Noorul Quran, No. I, pp. 4-27).

It is a clear proof of the Prophethood of the Holy Prophet, peace be on him, and of the truth of the Holy Quran, that the Holy Prophet was sent into the world when by its circumstances, it was demanding a grand Reformer and that he did not die, nor was he killed, till he had established the truth upon the earth. When he appeared as a Prophet, he at once proved his need by the world and condemned every people for their paganism and unrighteousness and wrong-doing. The Holy Quran is full of such admonition, for instance: Blessed is He Who has sent down the Discriminating Book to His servant that he may be a Warner to all the peoples (25:2); that is to say, he was to warn them of their false doctrines and their going astray. This verse is proof, and the Quran claims, that the Holy Prophet appeared at a time when the whole world and all the people had been corrupted; and his opponents have accepted this claim not only by their silence, but by their confession. It follows that the Holy Prophet, peace be on him, had come at a time when a true and perfect Prophet should have appeared. Then when we consider at what time he was called back, we find that the Quran is explicit that he was called back when he had completed his task. He was called back after the verse was revealed that the code of teaching for the Muslims had been perfected and all that had to be revealed in that context had been revealed. Not only this, but it was announced that the support of God Almighty had also been perfected and that people in large numbers had accepted Islam. It was also revealed that God had filled their hearts with faith and righteousness and had made them averse to disobedience and vice. They had acquired good morals and a great change had taken place in their morals and conduct and souls. Then was revealed the Surah Nasr, the purport of which is that all the purposes of Prophethood had been fulfilled and Islam had achieved a victory over peoples' hearts. The Holy Prophet, peace be on him, announced that this Surah indicated the approach of his death. He then performed the Pilgrimage and called it the Farewell Pilgrimage, in which he delivered a long address from the back of a camel and called upon the people to bear witness that he had conveyed to them all the commandments which he had been commissioned to announce to them. Every one confirmed in a loud voice that he had conveyed everything to them. The Holy Prophet then pointed to heaven and said: Bear witness, O Allah. He then said that he had admonished them at length as he might not be with them in the following year. He then returned to Medinah and died the following year. Send down on him Thy blessings and peace, O Allah. All these indications are given in the Quran and are confirmed by the history of Islam.

Can any Christian or Jew or Arya put forward the instance of any of their Reformers whose advent was at the time of great need, and whose departing was after the fulfilment of that need, and whose opponents bore witness to their own unrighteousness and misconduct? I know that no one outside Islam can offer this proof. It is obvious that Moses was sent for the destruction of Pharaoh, and to rescue his people from his tyranny, and to guide them along the right path. He was not concerned with the corruption of the world. It is true that he rescued his people from the tyranny of Pharaoh, but could not rescue them from Satan, nor was he able to lead them into the promised land. The children of Israel were not able to purify themselves at his hands and repeatedly fell into disobedience, till Moses died while they were still in that condition. So far as the disciples of Jesus are concerned, the Gospel bears witness to their condition; no further explanation is needed. Nor is it a matter unknown, how little had the Jews been guided for whose guidance Jesus was sent as a Prophet. If the Prophethood of Jesus is to be judged by this measure, one would be compelled to affirm that it is in no way established by this standard (Noorul Quran, No. I, pp. 29-40).